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Aug. 14, 2016 - The Wonder Lake Water Ski Show Team (Wonder Lake, Ill.) won the national team title at the 42nd Indmar Marine Engines Division 1 Show Ski National Championships, presented by Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing, Aug. 12-14, on the Rock River at Traxler Park in Janesville, Wis. Wonder Lake earned high-scoring awards for dock and equipment personnel, pick-up boat crews, towboat driving, showmanship, sound crew total and overall show on its way to tallying a grand total 1,957.94 points and winning its first national title since 2010 and fifth in the history of the event.

The Mad-City Ski Team (Madison, Wis.), which earned top awards for high individual club act, ballet and swivel, finished second with 1,917.08 points. The Rock Aqua Jays (Janesville, Wis.), which earned the high-scoring act for doubles, finished in third place (1,829.2 points), while the defending champion Aquanut Water Shows (Twin Lakes, Wis.), which had the highest-scoring pyramid and barefoot acts, placed fourth (1,802.16 points). The Muskego Water Bugs (Muskego, Wis.) had the highest-scoring jump act of the tournament, but placed a distant eighth in the grand total standings.

The tournament featured 14 teams and more than 1,500 athletes competing for the coveted show ski national title. In competitive show skiing, each club has one hour to present a theatrical performance on water skis. Judges score acts by awarding points based on originality, presentation and execution. Elaborate costumes and staging intermix with music and fast action on the water as an announcer leads the audience through the show.

The Mad-City Ski Team's Leah Straub (Middleton, Wis.) and the Waterhawks' Garrett Bouley (Bradenton, Fla.) won the Willa Cook and Skip Gilkerson awards, respectively. The awards are given to the tournament's top female and male performers, as voted on by the tournament officials.